Poll: Clear Majority of Utahns Support Amendment 3 Fight

A clear majority of Utahns remain opposed to same-sex marriage while supporting the state appealing the Amendment 3 fight to the Supreme Court.

A new Zions Bank/UtahPolicy.com poll conducted by Dan Jones and Associates finds 53% of Utahns say they “completely oppose” same-sex marriage while another 8% say they are “somewhat opposed.” Just 24% say they “completely support” same-sex unions while another 5% say they are “somewhat supportive.”

Last year, Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage was struck down after a federal court ruled Amendment 3 violated the equal protection clause of the Constitution. That ruling was upheld by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, and now the state has appealed the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.

When asked about the fight over Amendment 3, 54% of Utahns say they “completely support” the state appealing the ruling striking down the ban on same-sex marriage to the Supreme Court, while another 8% say they are “somewhat” supportive.

Weirdly, even though they support the state taking the same-sex marriage fight to the Supreme Court, they don’t expect Utah to prevail. 58% say they expect the high court to rule Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional.

Same-sex marriage proponents haven’t been winning the hearts and minds of Utahns during the last few years. When asked if their views on same-sex marriage have changed over the past 5 years, 69% said “not at all,” while a paltry 4% said their views have “changed completely.” Overall, just 31% say their views have changed.

However, when Utahns have changed their minds about same-sex marriage, their views become much more favorable.

The survey was conducted on August 12-14 among 400 likely voters. It has a margin of error of +/-4.9%.